Grandma turned 89!!

Oh Grandma, you sure are awesome. Grandma turned 89 this week and decided that she wanted to try the ifly as a birthday present. Her response to the experience, "That was not as fun as I thought it would be." None the less, it was fun to watch.

She is just awesome, don't you think?

Last Ski of The Year

We are so lucky to have Uncle Robb and Aunt Carlie to take us boating. They have a really nice boat and we love going with them.  Mitch was awesome as always and made Dad of the year. We snapped this family picture. Yes, Max does have his binky in. :)

Girls Day!

Ellie and I decided to have a girls date on Saturday.  I'm not much of a pedicure girl but after being sick for the last 13 weeks (did I mention i'm pregnant?!) I decided I could use a little girl time. So I took my favorite little lady with me and we had a lovely time. 

   They clipped, filed, and painted her little toes for 5 dollars and she enjoyed the massage chairs. The only problems is that she had a case of the giggles while they touched her toes. She was adorable. Little girls are so special. I simply adore her.

First Day of Pre-school

Today was Ellie's first day of pre-school. Kids always grow up so fast but we have been so excited for pre-school to start. Ellie loves learning and meeting new people. She is helpful and a self starter. Today she brought me into her room and said 'Surprise!' and pointed to her bed that she made all by herself. What a cute little lady.

 Oh I could just kiss her little face off. Last week she told me she needs to find a boyfriend. I just about choked on my food. I asked her where she heard about a boyfriend. She said (her cousins) "Ethan and Olivia were talking about them and I need to find a boyfriend...or a girlfriend. Either one I guess." Oh Boy!

 She made sure I got a picture of her strawberry shortcake backpack.

 Here she is with nakey brother Max. Don't ask why he's half naked, it's just one of those days.

Here she is sitting in class. I like this picture so much because I feel like there is just a hint of Lifferth in it. All my kids are Dorius clones. This is the first time that I thought that she looks just a little like I did as a kid. **Happy Feelings**

Last but not least. Here is broken hearted Max. He was very upset to leave big sister behind. They are best buds. Cheers! To new beginnings!

My family has participated in the Logan to Jackson (LOTOJA) bike race for more than 10 years now. The race is 206 miles long, crosses 3 states, climbs nearly 10,000 feet and is the longest amateur bike race in the United States.

For us it has become a family tradition that allows us to cheer each other on, train and race together, and enjoy a beautiful weekend.  But this year the race took on a new meaning as it meant the end of a long, hard year for our family.

This year we had 2 teams and 2 single riders in our group. Here are our teams:

Team Semicolon

 Team Beating the Beast

Obviously, the names of our teams are a little strange, however we had our purpose. Last October, my 64 year old dad (Rick) was diagnosed with colon cancer. He spent the last year undergoing major surgeries and a terrible 6 months of chemo.  His last treatment was in July (2013.)  From the day he felt well enough until now he has been pedaling away to try to strengthen his body again.

You can't imagine the joy it is for us as children to go on a bike ride with our dad as last year we were uncertain if he would be with us. We are happy to announce that he is now in remission and was able to ride part of the relay with us.

This year we dedicated our race to him. My sister had the white and blue jerseys made that have a biker with the blue cancer ribbon representing colon cancer.  (A special thanks to Melissa Ricks for the artwork on the jerseys!)

I think everyone knows someone who has or has had cancer. For our family, cancer has taught us to cherish every moment and live in that moment. We have become a little more selfless and learned how to pray a little harder each day.

I hope that we can all enjoy the opportunity we have to be healthy and make the most of our bodies. Each day is a gift and we need to cherish and enjoy it.

LOTOJA 2013

This year we enjoyed another great LOTOJA bike race. I also convinced Mitch to come and do it with us. It actually did not take too much convincing as he has been looking for a way to get back in shape. The race makes for such a fun day and Mitch and I love being in the car together for long drives. This year we left the kids with Mitch's brother and his wife (Wade and Ashlee) making the car ride a bit more peaceful. Here are some pictures from the race!

 I started the race out for our team as I rode from Logan to Preston. It was really pretty minus the mink and cow farms that left me dry heaving as I rode. I'm a little sensitive in the morning hours these days. *hint, hint

 PHOTO BOMB! Nice Tyler. Dad and Trish rode the same leg and powered over a mountain pass from Montpelier to Afton.

 Mitch and I had the awful opportunity to witness two bad wrecks. The first included a lot of road rash and a split open head. Just as we got those 2 bikers loaded into their car we turned around to see a group of about 8 bikers slam into the same orange barrel from the previous crash. The second crash was much worse as one individual was unconscious. I honestly thought he was going to die.

 We called and ambulance and found some consecrated oil. Mitch and the guys buddy gave him a blessing and not more than 3 minutes later the man became conscious. He was loaded up into an ambulance and taken away. We then had to rush to get Mitch to his leg of the race in time. Mitch decided to write his name on his arm with my phone number as at both crashes the individuals could not remember their names. Luckily,  they had 'road id's' on in case of an accident. We were both pretty shaken up after those wrecks.

 My brother Ryan rode the full 206 miles. Unfortunatly, in Afton he became very sick and started throwing up. With only 80 miles to go he did not want to quit. My dad and brother Randy pulled him for the last bit of the race. Poor Ryan rode with his arms hanging off his bike like this because he was not feeling so good. :( But he did finish!

 Come to find out Mitch is a really good biker. He motored along at 21 miles per hour while climbing a mountain pass. It's annoying how good he is really. With hardly any training he can kill it. The stinker.

We survived! Here is our groups shot!

Pioneer Trek June 2013

Well it's about time I start catching up with all the summer activities that we have done. Starting with the pioneer trek. This summer Mitch and I went on the pioneer trek with our stake as Ma's and Pa's. Initially, I was a little worried about our family, if they would want to be there, etc. etc. but once we got to Moseida, to start our trek, I was much calmer. Our family was really great. At first we had a few wanderer's but it didn't take long before our 'kids' only wanted to be with our family.
    Admittedly, the pioneer trek was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Although i'm in good shape my sticky arms did not prove very helpful by way of pulling. I will also say that squatting in the sage brush with 200 youth walking by was less than charming. Overall we had a great time and made lots of new friends!

 Here we are, VERY dusty and hot but still looking mighty fine!

 Here is our cute little family.

 They had a group of 'mobsters' come after us with guns. looks pretty legit right? Really, this guy was a mean cuss!

 The river crossing. They told us of a lady who was crossing the Sweet water river while holding her 3 year old child. The water swept her down stream and all the people on the river banks were yelling at her to let go of her baby. She didn't let go and eventually made it across with him. I like to think I would do something similar to her.

 It really was terribly dusty. You'll notice in the background they one of our additional trials. The girl with the blindfold on had to walk part of the trail as if she was blind.

 This is a picture of all the men at the top of the hill from the women's pull. I think they added two extra feet of sand for us to pull through (the little stinkers).

Again here are our girls pulling through the women's pull. It really was a wonderful experience and we are grateful for the opportunity we had to go.